Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Phones don't store location history in a manner similar to the iPhone, which records the location data in an unencrypted file. The news that some iOS devices keep location data came to light last week, although Apple warns users of the practice (if not the precise methods) in the fine print of the phone's terms of service.

Microsoft told PCMag unequivocally that phones running Windows Phone 7 do not store location history. Like most other phones, the platform offers plenty of location-based apps, and those apps require user consent before they begin tracking. Windows Phones also offer the common feature of a "global switch" that lets the user disable all location services, and Microsoft says its "Find My Phone" service keeps only the phone's most recent location.

PCMag also contacted Nokia, RIM, Google, and HP about how the companies' mobile platforms store location data, and none, save Microsoft, have responded. It's been confirmed independently that Google Android also tracks and stores location data.

The fact that iOS devices (iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPad, and iPad 2) record and store phone location data in a file called "consolidated.db" made headlines last week when researchers posted their discovery of the file as well as a Mac app that shows the location data on a map. It was not the first time someone had found the file, but it was previously not widely known. However, law enforcement agencies had already been using the data as evidence for some time.